By Michael Sinnerton

Having blogged about Michael Owen less than two weeks ago I don't want to come across as repeating myself, but I'm glad to see that one of my favourite players and someone who was once England's next great hope land on their feet.

As a Liverpool fan I know I probably should feel a bit betrayed and I may struggle next season wanting Michael to succeed whilst wanting United to crash and burn horribly. Do other Liverpool fans feel betrayed? I feel that having sold Michael Owen and turned down good opportunities to get him back (admittedly once at too high a price) we don't have any right to be offended.

From United's point of view they've signed a player who is proven in the Premiership and can be one of the best strikers in the league. At only 29 and on a free transfer, why anyone thinks this is a bad move is beyond me. Obviously it's a great move for Owen who finally has some profile and is saved the, let's face it, embarrassment of having to choose between Stoke or Hull (although Aston Villa were a more likely destination). But for United who get a proven goal scorer for no money, the risk is virtually zero. Owen will be so grateful to be at such a high profile club that he's likely to accept whatever terms are offered. If he does turn out to be a failure, United will be able to sell him for £1-2m with ease and will make their money back from any wages.

Furthermore, I don't think he will be a failure, at Newcastle with no service his stats of 30 goals in 69 games are well known but a goal-scoring ratio that was the highest in terms of goals/minutes played in La Liga should not be overlooked. Owen scored 18 goals from 41 games for Madrid (just 15 of which were starts), this despite a poor start probably due to problems acclimatising. When surrounded by good players, Owen is the beneficiary of more chances and as a result scores more goals.

Since Van Nistelrooy left United have not had a pure finisher in the squad due to Louis Saha's injury problems, Owen fits the bill perfectly. With Berbatov and Rooney likely to be Sir Alex's first choice for big games, and another (high profile) striker likely to join, United may be back to that wonderful position they enjoyed in 1999 where they can call on four genuinely top-drawer forwards.

By Michael Sinnerton

As Manchester City eye-up a new set of world-class strikers in a Real Madrid-lite move, should Arsenal fans be worrying about their position in the top four?

If City do line up with Eto'o, Tevez and Robinho next season then their fire power doesn't seem far off Arsenal's, a slightly weaker back-line and attacking midfield is countered by a much stronger goalkeeper and huge strength in depth in defensive midfield - one of Kompany, Barry or De Jong could make a huge difference to the balance of Arsenal's midfield.

Having a look at two feasible line-ups for next season:

Arsenal: Almunia; Sagna; Vermaelen; Gallas; Clichy; Nasri; Song; Fabregas; Rosicky; Arshavin; Van Persie

Man City: Given; Zabaleta; Richards; Dunne; Bridge; Ireland; Barry; De Jong; Robinho; Eto'o' Tevez

My combination line up would see: Given; Sagna; Gallas; Dunne; Clichy; Nasri; Barry; Fabregas; Ireland; and then any of the strikers interchangeably. So four City players to five from Arsenal. Of course this does depend on City signing two world-class strikers but the potential strength in depth at City, with Elano, Johnson, Kompany, Wright-Phillips, Petrov and Santa Cruz all not making my potential first XI above, is frightening.

As a Liverpool fan I find myself more often than not worrying about dropping out of the top floor than whether we can make a title charge. I hoped this year would be different, and if we can sign one more world-class player without losing anyone I could be right. It seems pretty unlikely that City have what it takes to win the title just yet but their strength in depth given a few more top quality signings is already good enough to match the top four.

Where they lack at the moment is go-to-guys, the players who seem to win your club most of their points. Liverpool, of course, have Torres and Gerrard; Chelsea have Lampard and Drogba, and Arsenal Fabregas. With Manchester United selling their main go-to-man the title race is wider open than it has been in the few seasons. At the moment City do not have that player, Robinho has shone in patches but mainly when they have dominated while the same could probably said of Stephen Ireland (who probably comes closest to filling this role).

Without this kind of player City may find themselves struggling to crack the top four but if someone at the club steps up, or one of their world-class potential singings really comes off then the Champions League elite could see a newcomer making waves quicker than we think.

By Michael Sinnerton

Is FIFA's 6+5 rule beginning to take effect even before it's formal acceptance?

The objective for those who don't know is to have an incremental implementation at the beginning of the 2010/11 season to give clubs time to adjust their teams. Once the ruling is in place clubs must field 6 players eligible to play for the national team of the country of the club. In 10/11 teams must have a 4+7 system, in 11/12 a 5+6 system and then a 6+5 system from 2012/13 onwards.

Purchases like Glen Johnson at Liverpool, whilst obviously made mainly for footballing reasons, are being looked at more and more by managers as a long-term solution to the 6+5 ‘problem'. It's perhaps the reason why Benitez was willing to ‘overpay' and I know it is something he has been conscious of in the past. It may also be the reasons for seemingly strange transfers like Ross Turnbull to Chelsea and could be a factor if Alex Ferguson decides to only sign one striker to replace Carlos Tevez, thereby allowing Danny Welbeck more playing time.

The rule has been described as illegal by the EU and was rejected by the European Parliament but the Institute for European Affairs found that the rule "can be implemented in line with Community law." Assuming the ruling does come into being, the England team should logically benefit through having a greater number of players to choose from but on the downside may well push the prices of English players up in the meantime.

Would you like your club to sign more English players anyway? Or are you worried that the rule will promote on the basis of nationality rather than quality? I worry that it could mean a decrease in quality as youngsters are over promoted, although in the long-term things should even themselves out. Also what will the rule mean for the hundreds of Brazilians who move to Europe every year?

by Joe Walton

I know it's silly season and everything, but the news this morning that Rick Parry's new job will be ensuring the integrity of the Premier League is something else. Parry, who was ousted from his role at Liverpool for undermining the club's lawful owners, will chair a new "anti corruption" panel which aims to asses the threat of betting-related corruption. While the inception of this panel is a good thing, given that some experts worry gambling corruption poses a bigger threat to football than drugs, Parry's position as the chair makes the whole thing rather less impressive. Lest we forget that Rick Parry has conducted himself as the Peter Mandelson of football, the shadowy fixer for the red team.

In one Machiavellian move, Parry used the birth of Yossi Benayoun's child to get him to renege on his contract at West Ham. The West Ham website had reported that Benayoun had agreed a contract extension and would sign as soon as he returned from Israel where he was present at his child's birth. This is when Parry swooped, approaching Benayoun's representatives, offering him a contract, turning his head and getting him to go against his word. Is that integrity? During the much discussed arbitration hearing between West Ham, Sheffield United and the Premier League, Parry gave evidence against the East End club.

Even putting aside the ethics of trying to penalise a Premier League club despite his own club having nothing to do with the situation, Parry's behaviour is questionable. As we all know, the reason West Ham were fined was because of third-party influence. This influence was as a result of clauses in the Argentine's contracts which meant they would be sold in January should bids of certain amounts be made. The sort of bid made by Liverpool and Parry for Javier Mascherano.

So Parry complained about the contracts but then profited out of them. Is that integrity?

This smacks of jobs for the boys, giving high power jobs just on the virtue of them being 'football people'. While I'm not questioning Parry's knowledge, I am questioning whether he is the sort of person to make a charge for the Premier League's integrity

By Michael Sinnerton

As a big Michael Owen fan, few stories have depressed me as much this summer as the ‘Owen Brochure'. If you've missed it, the former European player of the year has had to send out a brochure hunting for suitors because seemingly no-one particularly wants him.

The top four aside there I don't see how there can be many doubts about his ability. Despite all his problems he still scored 10 goals for Newcastle last year and has 30 in 65 starts (and 13 substitute appearances) for the Magpies. I think you'll agree that those are pretty good stats for someone available on a free and proven in the Premiership, albeit at high wages. And at 29, and having played less games than most 27 year olds there should be legs left in little Michael.

The problem, combined with the wages, is an injury record that makes Darren Anderton look like Daley Thompson (I think that just about works). Here's the solution I suggest, not ground-breaking, but a reasonable twist on an old favourite. Owen should sign a contract whereby each week he is unavailable for selection he is paid £20,000/£30,000 and each week he is available for selection he is paid £60,000.

There are a few obvious advantages here; firstly if Owen is injured you only end up paying him a fraction of his value/as much as a fringe squad player. Owen should be willing to sign the contract because if he envisages himself being fit most of the year then there are really no drawbacks. If the manager doesn't fancy playing him or opts for a different tactical system he gets a normal wage, and he isn't hugely reliant on his own form - which to me seems a big drawback of the pay-as-you-play system generally mooted. Knowing you have to score to maintain your livelihood seems to be a lot of pressure (albeit finances shouldn't be his chief concern).

The amounts suggested above are obviously fairly plucked out of the air and a real value would depend on the club and the actual demand for Owen. Any other suggestions for minimising the risk on signing injury-prone pros?

By Michael Sinnerton

A great manager, a great first XI, a good squad which with two or three quality additions could be considered favourites for the Premier League. Terrible owners, massive debt, no transfer funds and a host of first team stars looking to leave. Which Liverpool do you see?

I'm moving more and more towards the latter with Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa, Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso all being heavily linked with moves away. Only one of these fills me with absolute dread though, but sadly it seems the one most likely to happen. I'm talking of Mascherano who I think is by far the best holding midfielder in the world. Reina is a wonderful, wonderful goalkeeper but there are enough decent goalkeepers out there to replace him, the same is true of Xabi Alonso in midfield and whilst I wouldn't sell any of the four players, I feel adequate replacements could be found for them all bar Mascherano.

If you didn't know the club is in financial trouble you probably shouldn't be reading this, but accountants stating that the club is a "going concern" is perhaps a bigger problem than it has been made out to be. The holding company, at least, is one step away from being liquidated with all the previously non-current assets becoming current assets (I.e. everything is up for sale) with the biggest creditors being paid off first.

At a time when everyone in football seems to have cash to flash I find it incredibly frustrating that Liverpool, who have progressed so far, seem set to crash and burn just before overcoming the final hurdle.

Former Liverpool Chairman David Moores resigned from the club's board yesterday. His reasons are unknown but has admitted feeling "heartbroken and let down" by Hicks and Gillett. Let's just hope it's not a case of rats abandoning a sinking ship.

By Michael Sinnerton

Now I realise it's PFA Players' Player of the Year not PFA Bloggers' Player of the Year but its hard not to laugh when someone who has been chosen by his manager to start just a third of his sides league games wins. More influential players in Manchester United's (presumed) title triumph are Rio Ferdinand (24 starts), Nemanja Vidic (29 starts), Darren Fletcher (22 starts),  Wayne Rooney (22 starts) and Cristiano Ronaldo (28 starts).

I don't want to vilify Ryan Giggs (12 starts), and someone of his stature will obviously not look out of place in the record books in 15 or 20 years time, but that's not the point of this award. I think Giggs' place in football history is more than assured already and rightly so. If football wants to have a system where all the best players have been honoured at some point it should look no further than Wisden's Cricketers of the Year. Five players are chosen each year, and you cannot be chosen more than once, the list therefore reads like a who's who of international and, in some cases, domestic cricket. I don't think that's neccesary though, particularly not for one of the most decorated footballers ever to grace our game.

Nemanja Vidic, one bad performance against perhaps the best striker in the world aside, has had a phenomenal season. Almost single-handedly holding the United back four together when it went through that record-breaking run without conceding. Whilst Evra and Ferdinand missed much of the run through injury, Vidic was outstanding, marshalling Jonny Evans superbly. United's defence is the reason they will win the league this year and that rather than a handful of good performances by a veteran should be rewarded.

I struggle to remember Giggs' last real contribution of note, I doubt it has been in the last two months ("the business end of the season").

Congratulations to Ashley Young for picking up the Young Player of the Year, I probably would have gone with Stephen Ireland who has been excellent in a mediocre Manchester City side. Young has tailed off somewhat form wise but is still one of the best wide men in the division.....in fact he has as many assists and five more league goals than......Ryan Giggs.

By Michael Sinnerton 

Wow. Those of us who thought that Chelsea v Liverpool (Part 5) would be "two tight affairs" and "not one for the purists" may need to be a bit more imaginative with future predictions. Although at least Barca came through as predicted, with a home win being followed by an away draw.

The wonderful 4-4 at Stamford Bridge meant that the tie everyone feared may well turn out to be the tie of the round (Porto v United pending). Guus Hiddink succeeded where Luis Felipe Scolari failed in really getting the best out of Gary Megson and Rafa Benitez. Perhaps Abramovich finally has the exciting attacking football he so desires, combined with a winning team and a manager he trusts and likes.

Too bad it's only for six months. Whisper it quietly but Chelsea fans, and maybe even players, have forgotten him.  Unless Roman can somehow persuade Russia's powers that be that Hiddink can job share successfully, whoever comes in next season may have shoes even bigger than Jose's to fill.

Chelsea's current surge has surely come too late for the Premier League and Barcelona must be favourites in Europe but Arsenal fans must be slightly fearful that a more than makeshift back-line will struggle to deal with Dr. Ogba and ‘Lamps' on this form. Hiddink's impact is such that ending the season trophyless would now be considered a failure. FA Cup winners' medals may not be what the Chelsea players wanted at the start of the season but I think that's how they will end it. Whether the veteran Hiddink can get the better of the young maestro Guardiola may well be another epic contest to savour but for now bring on Wednesday's quarter finals.

by Stuart Gillespie

It might not seem like the most obvious point to raise after last night's enthralling Champions League match between Liverpool and Chelsea, but it's the only one that got my neutral blood boiling.

The incident came at 1-1, early in the second half, in the shape of Lucas Leiva's flagrant shove on Branislav Ivanovic at a Chelsea corner. This sort of "jostling" in the penalty box is far too common and, as in the case of Lucas, often takes the form of common assault. But it's all too rarely punished.

Ivanovic had the last laugh, going on to score his second of the game from a subsequent corner, but this should not distract us from the previous foul, during which time Lucas was completely unconcerned by the whereabouts of the football. Of course Chelsea have been offenders themselves in the past -  Ricardo Carvalho getting over-friendly with Victor Valdes rings a bell.

But what else would we like to see eradicated from the game?

For a start, how about what is euphemistically known as defenders "shepherding the ball out of play". Often, this involves the defender adopting a pose more usually associated with sumo wrestlers or those with severe constipation. And the ball is rarely within projectile vomiting distance of the offending full-back (not that I'm singling anyone out), never mind playing distance.

Watching a Scottish First Division match on Tuesday night reminded me of another personal bugbear, this one a relatively new irritant. A ball was played over the top of the defence, towards the corner flag. The attacking forward was a yard offside, but could not have known this himself. Instead of flagging straight away, as would seem sensible, the linesman felt the need to wait until both attacker and defender had sprinted 30 yards towards the ball to see if the forward would get there first. Having had a decent headstart he of course did, and the linesman duly flagged. But there would clearly have been no advantage for a defender collecting the ball at his own corner flag, so there was no need to let play continue. All it did was waste the energy of two players, as well as a bit of game time.

Any advances?

By Michael Sinnerton

This week's findings that Liverpool have 62 professionals on the books has caused uproar at UEFA. Usually I would take UEFA's thoughts on English football and the Premier League with a large pinch of sodium chloride but with Manchester United and Arsenal payrolling a squad of over 50, you can't help but feel sorry for the young players trying to make their way in the game.

Liverpool's "62" includes 17 players currently out on loan. Interviews in Observer Sport with two of these, Craig Lindfield and Jack Hobbs, claim they find the situation "frustrating" and "demoralising". Hobbs is now a successful part of Leicester's promotion push in League One whilst Lindfield is starting to make a name for himself in League Two. Godwin Antwi, another signed by Benitez, is refusing to contemplate signing another contract for Liverpool preferring to take his chances lower down the ladder at the chance of first team action.

Gordon Taylor, PFA chief executive, spoke recently of the wastage in the game: "Six hundred each year join clubs at 16," he said. "Of those 500 will be out of the game by 21. It's not good enough. We have got to look at improving the success rate of academies."

It seems unlikely that Liverpool gain much benefit from contracting this many players, in fact they probably have an inflated wage bill to deal with as a result. In fairness to Benitez some of the players he has signed may well end up making the breakthrough and saving the club large transfer fees (or even earning the club transfer fees) only time will tell.

As a Liverpool fan though, there is nothing better than seeing a young player break through to the first team and really make it. We are fortunate enough at the moment to deflect questions about youth policy with reference to Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard. The question remains though whether any will follow in their footsteps, with none of the 206 FA Youth Cup winning team making an impact. The Manchester City team they beat in the final contained current first-teamers Micah Richards, Michael Johnson, Ched Evans and Daniel Sturridge.

The solution currently being offered by UEFA is limiting the number of contracts, in the same way that only 25 players can be registered for the Champions League. This however would require backing domestically something which is never a guarantee. Surely this is something which all Premier League fans would unite behind? Whilst having a large squad is important, stockpiling talent seemingly without any real intention of utilising it can only have a negative impact on football in the long term.